Apprenticeships are for everyone

Paul Mansey is just one apprentice of South East Water who proves that apprenticeships are not just for school leavers, as he started his apprenticeship in his forties.

Having left school with little to no qualifications, Paul joined a youth training programme with Sainsbury’s, where he worked across all the departments to learn the tricks of the trade.

The next few years saw him joining the army, working in a factory making windows and working as a cash-in-transit driver.

At 32, Paul landed in the water industry working for Southern Water in its’ fresh and waste water teams.

Finally in 2015 he found his way to South East Water where he has been working as a production technician ever since.

In 2021 at 45 years old, he started an apprenticeship with the company in Process Treatment which when completed will give him a level 3 NVQ diploma.

Paul Mansey said: “I’m lucky to work for a company that wants to keep training me and now I never turn down any opportunities offered to me.

“You’re never too old for things like this, just go for it and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

“I haven’t done maths or English for 30 years but this apprenticeship has woken up my brain and the sense of achievement at the end of it is so worth it.”

Take a look at our careers website to see the apprenticeships we have available here https://careers.southeastwater.co.uk/.